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Former WWE Superstar Heath Slater has recapped a story from 2012, where Vader wanted to hit his iconic moonsault on him during an episode of RAW.
In 2012, Slater's predominant storyline was that of facing off against WWE legends week after week in a variety of highly entertaining segments.
One legend who returned to do battle with Slater was Vader as the New Japan Pro Wrestling and WCW icon faced off against the one-man band on RAW. During a recent conversation on the podcast Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw, Heath Slater stated how he was quick to decline being hit by Vader's moonsault.
“But then at the end, Rotunda [IRS] was like, ‘so the finish, do you just want to do your Vader Bomb or do you want to do your powerbomb?’ Vader literally looked at Rotunda and was like, ‘I think I can do the moonsault.’ Brother, I did one of these shaking of the heads, like, no. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I know he nails it and he can do it, but this is 2012.” H/T EWrestling News
Despite Vader not being able to perform his famous high-flying move, the two superstars gave the RAW crowd an entertaining match. It certainly rolled back the years for all fans of Vader, who ended up winning the contest.
Heath Slater on his backstage interaction with Vader
During his prime, Vader was known for being short-tempered, especially when it came to interacting with his fellow wrestlers backstage.
However, to the surprise of Slater, he found his run-in with the legend to be extremely pleasant. Slater recalled how Vader went above and beyond to make him feel comfortable.
“I remember being there with Vader, he was so kind, very nice gentleman, very nice to me. I don’t know about ‘91 Vader, but I know that he was more of a gentle soul when I got to face him. He was very nice,” Slater added. “But what really blew my mind, was we were talking about the match, and I’m like, ‘bro, whatever you want to do, I don’t care. Let’s just have fun.’" H/T EWrestling News
The late Big Van Vader will deservedly take up his spot in the WWE Hall Of Fame this year, commemorating a career that spanned over 35 years. He will be inducted alongside legends like The Steiner Brothers and The Undertaker as part of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2022.
